10 years ago–
The shackled captives were taken in a row by Hawk’s men. Luna Kristien did not put up any protest as the guards took her along; the bruises on her ribs and back were evidence of what would have happened if she hadn’t cooperated with them. She was positioned so that she was hunched forward over the level surface of a stone, and the chains that were tied to her arms were fastened to eye bolts that were in the stone’s front. Her fate was fixed. She was helpless to halt what was to happen.
Hawk warned her, “Luna Kirsten, you already know the result if you try to resist or fight me. Your son dies.” He looked at the guard.
The Alpha instructed the Beta, “make sure she sees this.”
Her hair was tied into a knot, then a rope was fastened to it, and both ends of the rope were tied to a leg iron. It pulled her head and neck back so that she had to face the other people. As she watched in terror, her entire world was coming crashing down around her.
“I will never submit to a monster like you, “she uttered those words as tears streamed down her cheeks. The severed head of her favourite beta rolled towards the rock as one of the Hawk’s butchers swung his sword.
Men ran forward and hauled the corpse away, even as the guards shoved the next victim into the location where the blood was still pouring in.
“Mom,” the boy sobbed to his mother.
“Ryan!” Kristien yelled, fear twisting in her belly.
“No! let him go!” She shouted. “Please.”
“The boy’s head will be next to roll if you don’t submit,” Hawk said excitedly.
Tears welled in her eyes as she closed her eyes.
“I submit. Let him live, please.”
“Good girl.”
The Alpha lifted his hands again, and the Pack immediately was hushed. “Alpha Rudolph sought to stir up the other Packs against us, to establish an alliance to become big enough to take us down. We could find out about it, since the other Alphas cannot dare to challenge us.” There were screams of agreement from the throng. “Now that Alpha is dead, the Pack is no more, and his beautiful Luna is mine. As is customary, after I am done with her, my Betas may have their shot, then by rank any Pack member who wishes to fuck a Luna may do so……”
“What do we do with the boy, sir?” A beta asked a jubilant Hawk.
“What else take him to the mines? Bring in all the other girls.”
The devastation of the Silverwater pack was complete.
*************
It had been hours after the destruction. Ryan lay there in the dark cave, chained. He was just 12, too young to fight, yet old enough to realise what was going on. The screams of his mother froze his bone. He wailed uncontrollably.
“Hey, are you hungry?” a sweet voice murmured to him. He opened his eyes and looked about. He understood he was not alone. Other children were also being put in that dark cave.
Ryan cast his gaze over the blonde girl. She was a few years older than him and was as injured and dishevelled.
“No, I am fine.” He mumbled.
“They killed your parents too?” She asked.
He didn’t comment, simply nodded.
“I am Natasha Black from the Rockwood pack. You can call me Nat.” She spoke.
“I am Ryan. My dad was the Alpha of the Silver water pack. One day, I shall kill those bastards.” He spoke.
“I will help you in carrying out the task.” She gave a slight smile.
The cave held the Alpha, and beta kids from the captured packs. They did not know what fate awaited them. They could hear the screams and the jeering from the debauchery going on the outside. The kids huddled and shivered in cold and fear.
“Ryan, come with me,” a woman approached and begged the youngster.
He stared at the recent visitor in wrath.
“Why? Who are you? What do you want?" He asked in anger. That woman was also an enemy, no matter how kind she looked.
“It’s important, please.” She spoke in a low voice.
Her tone stunned him. She appeared to be kind, even though she was dressed as one warrior. She unlocked him and asked him to follow her. After standing up, he went after her.
They were moving at a rapid pace among the trees. He could sense the anguish, the hopelessness, and the rage that was still there in that location. Because no one will discuss what had transpired.
Finally, he emerged from the thicket of trees that surrounded the Pack’s structures. As he made his way down the hill, he could see a crowd of people congregating in the front yard. They were the only members of his pack that remained. The audience that had assembled was weeping in silence and moved aside for him so that he could see what was at the heart of the gathering.
His mother was lying motionless on the ground nearby. Above her heart, the handle of a silver knife was protruding from her chest where it had been embedded. Her lifeless body was found draped over the body of an enormous wolf, which turned out to be his father.
He did not shed a tear, but just stared at his parents’ bodies.
“We could not stop her from killing herself before it was too late.” The lady who had been accompanying him whispered. “I am sorry.”
****************************
Current time -
As Max recounted the events, Selena’s body shook uncontrollably.
“For a proud Luna, it was a blow that shattered her very being. The entire event was a depraved celebration of sex and humiliation.”
Selena wiped away the tears that had come unbidden.
“It wasn’t just 1 pack; he repeated the same with several other packs. Natasha was the daughter of Alpha Greg of the moon rock pack. She had just turned 16. She was a virgin and had not even found her mate. She was captured along with Cayden and the others. The torture and rape turned her half-mad. Therefore, she is so deranged. Cayden tolerates her antics because she has been through the worse. Those people you met on Cayden’s birthday, all of them escaped from that hell. They are not rogues. They were Hawk’s treasure, his way of showing his friends and enemies how powerful he was, to make them fear him more than anything else. Cayden was in captivity for over 2 years. My dad was Alpha Rudolph’s beta. He had escaped the massacre but never forgave himself for abandoning his Alpha. He never stopped looking for Cayden. Then suddenly he escaped along with the other kids. My dad found them and raised them to become powerful wolves.”
“Is this the reason Cayden despises me?” Selena muttered, still in a daze.
Max nodded.
“He is broken. The Cayden I knew as a boy died along with his parents. He came back as a different person. I know that what he has done to you is not acceptable but try to see things from his point of view.”
“And he intends to use me to have his revenge against my father by sabotaging my family’s business?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan, but you are not meant to know about it,” Max responded.
“He has spent the past decade creating this pack and establishing a new persona for himself to exact his vengeance.”
“A new persona?” Selena asked.
“Cayden is not his true name; his real name is Ryan Woods.”